Gird compression hip tensioning garment

Abstract

A gird compression hip tensioning garment designed to provide compressive support extending throughout the acetabulofemoral and mid-gluteal portions of a wearer's lower torso so as to help relieve pain and to help promote healing from muscular / skeletal ailments and injuries of the mid-body of a wearer. This gird compression garment is constructed of a resiliently flexible and stretchable material and includes a ligature panel extending from approximately the sacrum of the spine of the wearer to the base of the gluteus medius, and a fastening device adapted to vary the amount of compressive force exerted by the garment.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention generally relates to a compression garment that, through its unique combination of elements, is adapted to provide gird compressive support for easing pain in a wearer's hip muscles, ligaments, and femoral joint area.[0002]Chronic hip pain is increasingly common among Americans, with more than 1 in 14 having experienced such pain on a regular basis. There are many causes of such hip pain, including muscle and tendon strains, osteoarthritis, tendonitis, surgery, or sports-related injuries. In addition, hip pain may be related to ailments affecting the lower back. For instance, a herniated disc in the lumbar region may be the source of not just lower back pain, but also of stress or pain in the hip region. A similar effect of hip pain may be observed in those suffering from sciatica.[0003]This interrelated experience of pain is at least partially attributable to the anatomical connectivity between the hip and lower back. The hip c...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008]The present invention comprises a resiliently flexible compression garment adapted to encircle the acetabulofemoral, gluteal, and upper pelvic regions of the wearer's lower torso, that further comprises a vertically oriented ligature panel and a fastening placket. The compression garment of the present invention is adapted so that its uppermost rear portion can be preferably placed at approximately the base of the lumbar portion of the spine. The present invention is further directed to a gird compression garment made of bi-directional stretchable fabric that is adapted to encircle a portion of a wearer's body that includes the hip area. The bi-directionality of this material is advantageous because it allows for it to be oriented so as to provide effective, girded support that holds the wearer's acetabulofemoral and gluteal regions in compressive alignment.

[0010]The object of the present invention is to provide relief from certain chronic mid-body pain that is not fully treatable using prior art compression garments or other known treatment devices. By providing resiliently flexible, girded compression that is not limited to isolated portions of the mid-body region, but rather that extends throughout the gluteal and acetabulofemoral regions, the embodiments of the present invention are adapted to provide remedial support for treatment of hip injuries and alleviation of pain in certain users. Furthermore, the embodiments of the present invention are adapted to provide for better posture and joint coordination (particularly by promoting better right-to-left hip alignment), more stable movements, and more complete muscle relaxation for performance of daily activities, in addition to being adapted to protect against recurrence of injury related to more strenuous activities, including sports and other athletic endeavors. This is accomplished in part through the simulation of and encircling support for the iliopsas muscle.

[0011]The embodiments of the present invention are believed to be useful for the treatment of a variety of ailments, including dislocated hip joints, torn cartilage, torn or strained muscles, torn or strained ligaments, joint tendinitis, joint arthritis, or herniated discs in the lower back, and in the prevention of injury recurrence (such as in wearers with healed pelvic fractures). Furthermore, the embodiments of the present invention may be used to reduce and / or minimize pain in the acetabulofemoral joint, the lower lumbar vertebrae, the sacral vertebrae, and the coccyx, in part by promoting proper hip posture that synchronizes with the lower lumbar region. In addition, the embodiments of the present invention may be particularly effective for treatment during the remodeling phase of muscle or joint recovery, i.e., after the injury phase, the acute / inflammatory phase, and the repair / regeneration phase have been completed. In this way, the embodiments of the present invention may aid in the rehabilitation of injuries and promote comfort for a wearer. In addition, this garment may be useful for active users without injuries in order to decrease the chances of injuring or over-stretching muscles and ligaments during daily physical activities.

Problems solved by technology

There are a variety of devices available to treat chronic hip pain, but they have proven incapable of relieving such mid-body pain and joint stress in many users.

However, these shorts may be ineffective at treating hip pain and associated lower back pain in users for several reasons.

First, they are not adjustable; while often composed of elasticized fabric, these shorts are not able to be tightened or loosened so as to provide variable compressive tensioning.

Second, prior art compression shorts are not generally designed to provide compressively linked support between the hips and the lower back region, which means that they generally are incapable of treating ailments that, for instance, were caused by a interrelated trauma or minor damage to the hips and lower lumbar region.

Moreover, those shorts are inconvenient for many users, because they generally do not permit undergarments to be comfortably worn at the same time as the shorts.

While these wraps provide adjustability that is generally lacking in compression shorts, they do not provide the sort of continuous, simultaneous, girded support to the entire hip region, and thus may not properly maintain the alignment that can be so useful for recovering from surgery, promoting recovery from sport-related injuries, promoting healing and preventing injury recurrence, and for relieving chronic pain.

However, that garment is specifically constructed and adapted to treat portions of the wearer's body other than the hip region, and could not be used alone to treat hip pain in a wearer.

Thus, there is no existing compression garment that provides combinatorial and continuous girded compressive support that encircles the wearer's acetabulofemoral and lower torso regions, to aid in recovery from surgery or a non-surgical injury or condition in the hips, and to relieve joint and muscle pain in those regions of a wearer's body.

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